In recent years railroad hopper cars have been developed of increased size and of greatly increased capacity. These hopper cars are so constructed that the entire car body comprises essentially a single hopper closed across its bottom by coacting opposed pairs of hopper doors arranged transversely of the longitudinal axis or the center sill of the car throughout substantially the full length of the car. Thus, the sets of doors, when opened, define in effect a single discharge orifice interrupted only by bracing members of minimal size which are configured to assist in discharging the load as it drops downwardly upon the opening of the hopper doors. Such newer and more advanced types of hopper cars and automatic means for opening and closing the hopper doors are taught, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,187,684 and 3,596,609.
There are circumstances, however, which make it desirable to provide for the manual opening and closing of the hopper doors of such cars in essentially the same manner as conventional hopper car doors are opened and closed. In conventional hopper cars latch means are provided, usually at the opposite ends of each hopper door, to secure it in its closed position. When these latches are released by workmen on both sides of the hopper car, the door will swing downwardly to its open position under its own weight and under the weight of the lading pressing against the hopper door. When the load has been discharged, the hopper door must be moved manually to its closed position and re-latched on both sides.
Such a manual door opening and closing procedure has a number of inherent problems. For example, even in a conventional hopper car, each hopper door is of substantial size and is quite heavy, with the result that considerable physical force is required to swing the hopper door from its open to its closed position. This difficulty has been magnified greatly in the newer, larger and more advanced types of hopper cars under consideration herein, since such cars are considerably larger with the result that the hopper doors are also larger and heavier. This particular problem has been overcome by providing spring loaded devices in association with the hopper doors which serve not only as spring loaded stops for the open position of the hopper doors, but also as means to assist in the operation of closing the hopper doors. Such devices are taught, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,192,876 and 3,776,142.
Another problem with a manual door opening operation lies in the fact that a worker is required on both sides of the hopper car to latch and unlatch the hopper doors. Yet another disadvantage is found in the fact that the hopper doors and their hinge means are subjected to uneven wrenching or twisting forces if the latches on either end of the doors are not released simultaneously. Furthermore, such doors are sometimes latched on one side only, the other side being forgotten or inaccessable. These problems again are magnified in the newer and more advanced types of hopper cars.
Prior art workers have devised manual door actuating means for that type of hopper car which does not have a center sill extending throughout its length. Such door actuating means are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,167,026 and 3,483,830. These door actuating means are not applicable, however, to hopper cars of the type having a center sill such as the hopper cars taught in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,187,684 and 3,596,609. Prior art workers have also devised manual door actuating means, operable from both sides of the car, for hopper cars having center sills. The door actuating means, however, are such that an actuating means must be provided for each hopper door.
The present invention is directed to the provision of a manually operable door actuating and locking means for each opposed pair of hopper doors of hopper cars of the general type taught in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,187,684 and 3,596,609, wherein each hopper door is provided with a spring loaded assist device of any appropriate type such as that taught in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,192,876 or 3,776,142. The door actuating and locking means of the present invention is manually operable from either side of the hopper car by a single workman. In the operation of the hopper door actuating and locking means, both hopper doors of the cooperating, opposed pair are unlatched simultaneously and each door of the pair is free of twisting or wrenching forces. As used herein and in the claims, the term "manually operable", as applied to the door actuating and locking means of the present invention, is intended to refer to an actuating and locking means operable by a workman provided with an appropriate hand tool such as a pry bar or the like, as opposed to fully automatic systems of the type taught in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,187,684 and 3,596,609.